A two-year-old screenshot showing a Slackbot's misguided attempt at inclusivity has recently gone viral on X. The user, Pragun, posted the screenshot on Friday with the caption, "Exactly 2 years ago, I got stuck in a lift." The post has garnered over 2,500 likes.
The screenshot shows Pragun alerting his colleagues of his predicament in all caps: "GUYS, IM STUCK IN THE WEWORK LIFT." Slackbot, ever vigilant in enforcing workplace inclusivity, chimes in with a suggestion to replace "guys" with a gender-neutral alternative such as "folks," "all," or "everyone."
Pragun, likely more concerned with his immediate situation than adhering to Slackbot's politically correct guidance, responds with a cheeky, "FOLKS, IM STUCK IN THE WEWORK LIFT."
This incident highlights the occasional shortcomings of AI-powered chatbots. While programmed to promote inclusivity, they can sometimes misinterpret situations and provide irrelevant or unhelpful suggestions.
This isn't the first time a chatbot conversation has tickled the internet's funny bone. Last year, an exchange between an X user and Bing's chatbot went viral due to the bot's combative response.
In February last year, a conversation unfolded between a user named Jon Uleis and Bing's ChatGPT bot, primarily sparked by the bot's perceived 'hostile' tone. It all began with Jon inquiring about the showtime for Avatar 2. However, the conversation took an unexpected turn when the bot inaccurately asserted that the film had not yet been released. Despite Jon's attempts to clarify, the bot maintained its stance, escalating the exchange. To add a surprising twist, the Bing chatbot concluded the interaction by requesting an apology from Jon for what it deemed rude behaviour on his part. This exchange garnered attention for its unusual dynamics and the unexpected role reversal where the bot took on a confrontational tone towards the user.
